Garden bed assembly and method and kit therefor

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a garden bed assembly, a kit and a method of making it. The garden bed assembly includes at least one raised garden bed planter box for containing suitable planting soil or other growing media. The assembly as disclosed herein includes a fence for at least partially surrounding the box, and includes a series of fence sections. Each section has an open rigid frame and an open mesh material such as poultry wire or hardware cloth, extending thereacross to permit sunlight as well as pollinating bees to enter the assembly while prohibiting unwanted creatures such as a gophers, rabbits and other animals from gaining access to the growing plants in the garden bed box.

RELATED APPLICATION

The application is a divisional patent application pursuant to 37 CFR1.78(a) of U.S. patent application, entitled GARDEN BED ASSEMBLY ANDMETHOD AND KIT THEREFOR, application Ser. No. 12/198,864, filed on Aug.26, 2008, which is a divisional patent application of U.S. patentapplication, entitled GARDEN BED ASSEMBLY AND METHOD AND KIT THEREFOR,application Ser. No. 11/073,072, filed on Mar. 4, 2005, now U.S. Pat.No. 7,424,787, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patentapplication, entitled GARDEN BED ENCLOSURE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD AND KITTHEREFOR, application No. 60/550,746, filed Mar. 4, 2004, and which areherein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a garden bed assembly andmethod of making it, as well as a kit therefor. It more particularlyrelates to a garden bed assembly, kit and method useful for growingplants such as fruits and vegetables, in a backyard or other setting.

BACKGROUND ART

There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this sectionlegally constitutes prior art.

Amateur gardeners have attempted to establish and grow fruits andvegetables in a backyard setting, and have met with varying degrees ofsuccess. There have been a variety of reasons for less than desirableresults.

For example, soil conditions vary widely, and amateur gardeners may nothave the time or knowledge to properly prepare the soil for suitablegrowing conditions. Other deterrents to successful gardening ofcomestible products relate to creatures such as gophers, rabbits, andother animals, who will eat otherwise healthy plants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of this invention and the manner of attaining them willbecome apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood byreference to the following description of certain embodiments of theinvention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary pictorial view of a garden bed assemblyconstructed according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged pictorial view of a planter box corner bracket ofthe assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged pictorial view of a planter box T bracket;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of a garden box assembly kit constructedaccording to a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of another garden bed assembly constructedaccording to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of yet another garden bed assemblyconstructed according to yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of still another garden bed assemblyconstructed according to still further embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic plan view of yet a further garden bed assemblyconstructed according to still another embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed a garden bed assembly, a kit and a method of makingit. The garden bed assembly includes at least one raised garden bedplanter box for containing suitable planting soil or other growingmedia. The assembly as disclosed herein includes a fence for at leastpartially surrounding the box, and includes a series of fence sections.Each section has an open rigid frame and an open mesh material such aspoultry wire or hardware cloth, extending thereacross to permit sunlightas well as pollinating bees to enter the assembly while prohibitingunwanted creatures such as a gophers, rabbits and other animals fromgaining access to the growing plants in the garden bed box.

According to the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the box ispositioned adjacent to at least one section of the fence to permit theplants growing in the soil or other growing media in the box to besupported by the adjacent fence section.

In accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, thereis provided a garden bed assembly which includes at least one planterbox for holding planting media. The planter box may have a plurality ofwalls, and a plurality of brackets each helping to secure together twowalls in an upright configuration. Each bracket may have at least oneupstanding flange for being fastened to a face of one of the walls. Thebracket may also have one horizontal flange for being fastened to thebottom edge of the one wall, and having a retainer spaced from theupright flange for receiving the wall therebetween. A fence may beprovided for at least partially surrounding the planter box. The fencemay include an arrangement of fence sections joined together at theirends to form posts. Each fence section has a pair of end rails, and aface rail may be provided to fasten to the adjoining fence section endrails to form a post.

According to a method of a disclosed embodiment of the invention, thereis provided a method of constructing a garden bed structure includingassembling at least one planter box of four upstanding walls. Theassembling may include joining fixedly together the ends of a pair ofwalls with a corner bracket. The pair of walls are joined together atright angles to one another on a horizontal flange of the bracketbetween a retainer and an upstanding flange. The walls are fastened tothe bracket. A fence is assembled to at least partially enclose theplanter box, and the fence may be fastened to the planter box to helpsupport the fence.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there isprovided a garden bed assembly kit, which includes a set of planter bedplanter box brackets to help form planter box walls into a planter box.Each bracket may include at least one upstanding flange for beingfastened to a face of one planter box wall, one horizontal flange forbeing fastened to the bottom edge of the wall, and a retainer spacedfrom the upright flange for receiving the wall therebetween.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings, there is shown agarden bed assembly 10, which is constructed in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The assembly 10 includes a set ofthree raised garden bed planter boxes 12, 14 and 16 arranged in aU-shaped configuration. It should be understood by those skilled in theart that other arrangements of the planter boxes, and the number ofplanter boxes, may vary. Each planter box of the assembly 10 may begenerally rectangular in shape, and various different sizes and shapesof the planter boxes may vary as will become apparent to those skilledin the art.

A set of brackets such as a corner bracket 18 and a T bracket 21 areprovided to secure the walls of the boxes in place as hereinafterdescribed in greater detail. Each planter box such as the planter box 12is open at its top and contains soil or growing media such as the soil19, for growing plants such as a plant 20.

A fence generally indicated at 23 at least partially surrounds theplanter boxes to help protect the plants from unwanted pests from eatingthe plants. The fence 23 includes a set of open frame fence sectionssuch as a pair of front fence sections 25 and 27, and a pair of longerside fence sections 29 and 32. A tall rear fence section 34 completesthe enclosure and serves as a trellis for certain growing plants. A gate36 is connected between a pair of upright posts 38 and 41 between thefront fence sections 25 and 27. A gate latch 43 releasably secures thegate 36 in place.

It is to be understood that a tall section may be included as one ormore of the sections, or all of the sections can be the same height, ifdesired. The height of the sections, such as the sections 25, 27, 29,and 32 may all be substantially the same, and may vary in size, such asbetween about three feet and about seven feet.

An irrigation system generally indicated at 45 may be provided to supplywater to the plants to facilitate their growth. One or more toolholders, such as a tool holder or hook 47 may be attached to one or moreof the planter boxes of the fence 23 for conveniently holding gardentools such a garden tool 49 for use by the gardener.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a kit 52 which includes thevarious parts to assemble the garden bed assembly 10 of FIG. 1. The kit52 may include a set of brackets for assembling the planter boxes, andthe brackets may include the brackets 18 and 21. Optionally, the kit 52may include the irrigation system 45. Optionally, the kit 52 may alsoinclude the fence 23 including the fence sections 25 and 29. It willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art that various combinations ofthe parts of the kit 52 may be included. Generally, however, it isdesirable to not include the walls of the planter boxes in the kit,since those items can be purchased separately by the user and the kit 52may be sent via a carrier to the purchaser.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the corner brackets such as the corner bracket18 will now be described in greater detail for joining the ends of twoplanter box walls together at a corner. The bracket 18 generallycomprises a pair of upstanding flanges 54 and 56, which are integrallyconnected together at a right angle and are perforated for receivingfastening devices such as screws. In this regard, the bracket 18receives the ends of a pair of planter box boards or walls 58 and 61 atright angles to one another, and the perforated upstanding flanges canthen be conveniently fastened thereto by suitable fastening devices suchas screws (not shown).

An L-shaped horizontal flange 63 is integrally connected at right anglesto the bottom edges of the upstanding flanges 54 and 56. The L-shapedhorizontal flange 63 includes a pair of upstanding integrally connectedflanges or retainers 65 and 67. The retainer 65 is parallel to andspaced from the upstanding flange 56 to receive the wall 61 therebetweenfor securing it in place to facilitate the fastening of the bracket 18to the wall 61. Similarly, the upstanding retainer 67 is spaced from theupstanding flange 54 to receive the wall 58 therebetween to facilitatethe fastening of the upstanding flange 54 thereto. The height of theupstanding flanges 54 and 56 are substantially the same as the height ofthe planter box walls. Both the height of the planter boxes and thebracket upstanding flanges may vary, and may, for example, be about 12inches high, or about 24 inches high.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the T brackets such as the T bracket 21 willnow be described in greater detail for joining together the ends ofthree planter box walls in a T-shaped configuration. The bracket 21includes a single upstanding flange 69 which is adapted to be secured tothree separate planter box walls such as the walls 58, 72 and 74. Inthis regard, the upstanding flange 69 is perforated to receive fasteningdevices such as screws (not shown) to secure the walls in a T-shapedconfiguration.

A T-shaped horizontal flange 76 is integrally connected to the bottomedge of the upstanding flange 69. An upstanding flange or retainer 78 isspaced from and parallel to the upstanding flange 69 to receive an endportion of the wall 58 therebetween while it is being fastened in place.Similarly, an upstanding flange or retainer 81 is spaced from andparallel to the upstanding flange 69 to receive the wall 72 therebetweenwhile it is being fastened in place to the upstanding flange 69.

A pair of upstanding flanges or retainers 83 and 85 on the horizontalflange 76 are adapted to receive the wall 74 there between while it isbeing fastened in place to the flange 69. In this regard, screws orother fastening devices (not shown) fasten the flange 69 to an edge ofthe wall 74.

The upstanding flange 69 may vary in height in a similar manner as theupstanding flanges 54 and 56 of the corner bracket 18.

Considering now the fence sections in greater detail, the fence section25 will now be described as being representative of the open frameconstructions of the other fence sections forming the fence 23. Thefence section 25 includes a pair of end rails 87 and 89 and a pair ofcross rails 92 and 94 to provide a rectangular configuration for thefence section 25. Poultry wire, hardware cloth, or other open meshfabric 96 is fastened by suitable means (not shown) to the backside ofthe fence section 25 to prevent unwanted pests from entering theassembly 10.

The end rail 87 may be fastened to an end rail 98 of the fence section29 by suitable fastening devices such as a screw 99. A face rail 101 maybe fastened to the end rails 87 and 98 to form a post 103. The post mayinclude a cap block 104 shown partially in FIG. 2. The cap block 104 isprovided for decorative purposes and to conceal, to a certain extent,the fact that the post 103 is composed of a set of three rails. The capblock 104 is similar to the cap block 105 (FIG. 1). Although only onecap block is shown in FIG. 1, there may be cap blocks (not shown) oneach one of the intersections of the adjoining fence sections as well.In this manner, the fence 23 can be conveniently assembled without theuse of posts and it has a finished as well as an aesthetically pleasingappearance.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fence 23 is fastened to the planter boxes bysuitable fastening devices such as a screw 106. In this manner, thefence 23 is at least partially supported by the planter boxes. However,it is to be understood that the fence 23 may be supported in aconventional manner by concrete footings (not shown).

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, the irrigation system 45 will now beconsidered in greater detail. The system 45 may include a timer 107 anda garden hose spigot 109. The timer 107 controls the supply of water tothe plants in the planter boxes of the assembly 10. The spigot 109enables the user to connect a conventional garden hose (not shown) foradditional manual watering of the plants.

The system 45 may include a supply pipe 112 which may include a hose endpipefitting for attachment to a conventional garden hose to supply waterto the irrigation system 45. It is to be understood that a permanentwater supply may be attached to the end of the supply pipe 112 in placeof the hose end pipefitting 114 for a more permanent installationinstead of using a garden hose for supplying the water.

A pair of upright pipes 116 and 118 may supply the water from the supplypipe 112 to a valve 121 controlled by the timer 107, and to the hosespigot 109. The timer 107 controls the valve 121 connected in fluidcommunication to the pipe 116. The valve 121 may be connected in fluidcommunication with a set of discharge pipes 123 to supply the waterunder the control of the timer 107 to a soaker hose outlet 125, whichmay be connected to a series of perforated soaker hoses 127 disposedwithin the planter boxes for supplying water to the plants growingtherein.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown another garden bed assembly 129,which is constructed in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention. The assembly 129 is generally similar to the assembly10 of FIG. 1, except that the assembly 129 includes a roof 132 on thetop of a fence 134, which is similar to the fence 23 of the assembly 10of FIG. 1.

The assembly 129 includes at least one raised garden bed box (notshown), which may be similar to one or more of the raised garden bedboxes 12, 14 and 16 of FIG. 1. Each one of the raised garden bed boxesincludes suitable planting soil or growing media (not shown) which maybe similar to the box 12 of FIG. 1, for growing fruits or vegetables, orthe like.

In the embodiments such as the assemblies 10 and 129, a floor (notshown) may extend under the vertical walls of the fence, and may becovered with a ground cover such as bark. The floor may be in the formof a mesh material such as poultry wire or hardware cloth, to prevent,or at least retard, the entrance into the enclosure by unwanted pestssuch as gophers.

An open mesh material such as the material 45 (FIG. 1) extends over theframe or fence sections of the assembly 129, and permits sunlight a wellas pollinating bees to enter the enclosure while prohibiting unwantedcreatures from gaining access thereto.

According to at least some of the disclosed embodiments of theinvention, at least one of the garden bed boxes may be disposed adjacentto at least one of the vertical walls of the enclosure. In this manner,plants growing in the box can then affix themselves to the open meshmaterial of the vertical wall to serve as a trellis. Additionally, spaceis required to walk about within the fenced enclosure to enable a personto quickly enter the enclosure, such as via a gate, and harvest some ofthe plants in a quick and easy manner.

According to at least some of the embodiments of the invention, theboxes are generally rectangular in shape and are sufficiently narrow topermit a person to reach the plants growing in the box in a convenientmanner. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, there are threegarden bed planter boxes arranged in a generally U-shaped configurationso that each one of the three boxes is disposed adjacent to at least onevertical wall. Also, there is sufficient space for a person to enter thefence 23 via the gate, and walk about the inside of the assembly and inareas or spaces defined partially by the three boxes so that a personcan readily gain access to all three boxes. Additionally, the growingplants can use the open mesh material on all of the adjacent verticalwalls as trellises.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown another garden bed assembly 180,which is also constructed in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. The assembly 180 includes a single raised garden bedplanter box 182, which is generally rectangular in configuration andincludes suitable planting soil or other growing media 184. A generallyrectangular enclosure or fence 186 surrounds the box 182 and includes afront wall 188 having a gate 191. One side of the rectangular box 182 isdisposed adjacent to a rear wall 193.

In general, the assembly 180 is similar to the assembly 10, except thatthe assembly 180 is generally smaller in size and has a single gardenbed box.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown yet another garden bed assembly195, which is also constructed in accordance with yet another embodimentof the invention. The assembly 195 includes a set of three spaced-apartraised garden bed planter boxes 197, 199 and 1102, each containingplanting soil such as planting soil 1104 in the box 197. The assembly195 includes a generally rectangular enclosure 1106 having a front wallwhich includes a gate 1111. The box 1102 is disposed adjacent to a rearwall 1113 to permit the plants (not shown) growing in the box 1102 touse the rear wall 1113 as a trellis.

The boxes are each similar in size and shape to one another, and arespaced apart in a row.

Referring now to FIG. 9, there is shown another garden bed assembly1115, which is constructed in accordance with another embodiment of theinvention. The assembly 1113 includes a set of five raised garden bedboxes 1117, 1119, 1122, 1124 and 1126. Each one of the boxes contains asuitable planting soil such as the soil 1128 in the box 1117.

A generally rectangular enclosure 1129 confines the five boxes and has afront wall 1131 with a gate 1132. Also, the enclosure includes a rearwall 1133 and a pair of side walls 1134 and 1135.

Each one of the boxes within the fence or enclosure 1129 is generally ofthe same size and shape, and are spaced apart from one another. Each boxis disposed adjacent to one of the vertical walls of the fence orenclosure 1129.

In general, each one of the assemblies disclosed herein may be of anysize or configuration, including triangular and circular. Also, theheight of the vertical fence sections and the planter box walls may beof any suitable height. Also, the assembly may or may not include aroof. If a roof is included as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 6, theroof may be fixed to the side walls. The roof may also be removable,which may be preferable where the vertical walls are lower in height.Also, the gate may be optional, should the walls be sufficiently low inheight so that a person can gain access to the interior of the enclosureby stepping over the top of the side walls.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed, it is to be understood that various different modificationsare passing and one contemplated within the true spirit and scope of theappended claims. For example, planter box walls could be composed of avariety of materials, such as wood, plastic, metal and other. There isno intention, therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract ordisclosure herein presented.

1. A bracket for joining pieces of wood, comprising: at least oneupstanding flange for being fastened to a face of one of the pieces ofwood; a horizontal flange integrally connected to the at least oneupstanding flange and adjacent to the bottom edge of the one piece ofwood, and a retainer integrally connected to the horizontal flange andspaced from the upstanding flange for receiving the one piece of woodtherebetween, wherein the horizontal flange is shaped for joiningtogether the end of the one piece of wood and the end of at least oneother piece of wood, and the upstanding flange is adapted to secure theends of the at least two pieces of wood.
 2. The bracket of claim 1,wherein the horizontal flange is L-shaped for joining together the endsof at least two pieces of wood.
 3. The bracket of claim 1, wherein thehorizontal flange is T-shaped for joining together the ends of at leastthree pieces of wood.
 4. The bracket of claim 1, wherein the at leastone upstanding flange is perforated for receiving fastening devices. 5.The bracket of claim 1, wherein the height of the at least oneupstanding flange is between about 12 inches and about 24 inches.
 6. Abracket for joining at least three pieces of wood, comprising: at leastone upstanding flange for being fastened to a face of one of the piecesof wood; a horizontal flange integrally connected to the at least oneupstanding flange and adjacent to the bottom edge of the one piece ofwood, and a retainer integrally connected to the horizontal flange andspaced from the upstanding flange for receiving the one piece of woodtherebetween, wherein the horizontal flange is T-shaped for joiningtogether the ends of the three pieces of wood, and the upstanding flangeis adapted to secure the ends of the three pieces of wood.
 7. Thebracket of claim 6, wherein the at least one upstanding flange isperforated for receiving fastening devices.
 8. The bracket of claim 6,wherein the height of the at least one upstanding flange is betweenabout 12 inches and about 24 inches.
 9. A bracket for joining at leasttwo pieces of wood, comprising: two upstanding flanges for beingfastened to faces of the pieces of wood; a horizontal flange integrallyconnected to the two upstanding flanges and adjacent to the bottom edgeof at least two of the pieces of wood, and a retainer integrallyconnected to the horizontal flange and spaced from the upstanding flangefor receiving one piece of wood therebetween, wherein the horizontalflange is L-shaped for joining together the ends of the at least twopieces of wood, and the upstanding flange is adapted to secure the endsof the two pieces of wood.
 10. The bracket of claim 9, wherein theupstanding flanges are perforated for receiving fastening devices. 11.The bracket of claim 9, wherein the height of the upstanding flanges isbetween about 12 inches and about 24 inches.
 12. A method of joiningpieces of wood using a bracket having at least one upstanding flange, ahorizontal flange, and at least one retainer, comprising: placing afirst piece of wood in the bracket between at least one of theupstanding flanges and at least one of the retainers with the bottomedge of the first piece of wood adjacent to the horizontal flange;fastening the first piece of wood to at least one of the upstandingflanges; placing a second piece of wood in the bracket between at leastone of the upstanding flanges and at least one of the retainers with thebottom edge of the second piece of wood adjacent to the horizontalflange and with an end of the second piece of wood adjacent to an end ofthe first piece of wood; fastening the first piece of wood to at leastone of the upstanding flanges, and wherein the junction of the firstpiece of wood and the second piece of wood is substantially a rightangle.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising placing a thirdpiece of wood in the bracket on top of the first piece of wood;fastening the third piece of wood to at least one of the upstandingflanges; placing a fourth piece of wood in the bracket on top of thesecond piece of wood; and fastening the fourth piece of wood to at leastone of the upstanding flanges.
 14. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising placing a third piece of wood in the bracket between at leastone of the upstanding flanges and at least one of the retainers with thebottom edge of the second piece of wood adjacent to the horizontalflange and with an end of the third piece of wood adjacent to the end ofthe second piece of wood; fastening the third piece of wood to at leastone of the upstanding flanges, and wherein the junction of the thirdpiece of wood and the second piece of wood is substantially a rightangle.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising placing a fourthpiece of wood in the bracket on top of the first piece of wood;fastening the fourth piece of wood to at least one of the upstandingflanges; placing a fifth piece of wood in the bracket on top of thesecond piece of wood; fastening the fifth piece of wood to at least oneof the upstanding flanges; placing a sixth piece of wood in the bracketon top of the third piece of wood; and fastening the sixth piece of woodto at least one of the upstanding flanges.